It has been the practice for many years to provide athletic type socks with a terry loop "cushion" sole in which the same type and density of terry loops extend throughout the length of the lower sole portion of the sock to provide the same type of terry loop cushioning, protection and moisture absorbency throughout the entire length of the lower portion of the foot of the wearer. When taking part in athletic activities, such as jogging and running, the cartilages joining the bones in the arch of the foot provide elasticity and the arch tends to flatten each time the foot impacts on the surface. When the known type of sock with the same type of terry loop cushioning throughout the length of the sole in worn with a shoe provided with an arch support, the flattening of the arch results in the arch receiving a major portion of the shock of the impact so that the effectiveness of the terry loop cushioning in the heel and ball areas is reduced.
Additionally, it is known to provide the same type of terry loop cushioning in certain selected areas of the foot of a sock, for example in the manner illustrated in the Davis U.S. Pat. No. 2,144,563. However, this patent discloses providing the same type of terry loops throughout the arch and ball areas and does not solve the main problem encountered by joggers and runners because it does not recognize the need for a lesser amount of cushioning or padding in the arch area relative to that provided in the ball and heel areas so that the full benefit of the greater amount of cushioning in the heel and ball areas is available to absorb the shock applied against the corresponding ball and heel areas of the foot of a jogger or runner.